Who would you think Jesus liked to spend time with? It might not be who you’d expect. Jesus often hung out with those that everyone else overlooked or ignored. If you’re feeling disconnected from God and feel like you’d be the last person He would spend time with, this message will show you from the Bible that it’s not true.

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MESSAGE NOTES

Matthew 9:9a
As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named
Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth.

Jesus models radical inclusion

Matthew 9:9b

“Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So
Matthew got up and followed him.”

Being included is a powerful act of love and
validation.

Jesus was the greatest includer of all time because he
included people everyone else over looked.

Being included is a powerful thing. One of the most
powerful things you can is to include someone else into
your life. Include them in your schedule. Include them in
your circle.
You’re worth my time. You’re worth my energy.
That’s how Matthew felt with Jesus. That’s how I hope
you feel with Jesus.

Matthew 9:10-11
10  Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his
home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and
other disreputable sinners. (So now it’s a party of all the
people you wouldn’t want to be there. Included people
include people 11  But when the Pharisees saw this, they
asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such
scum?”

Matthew 9:12-13
12  When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t
need a doctor—sick people do.” 13  Then he added, “Now
go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to
show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call
not those who think they are righteous, but those who
know they are sinners.”

Jesus isn’t focused on who you are now, but on who you can become.

Jesus was and is the greatest includer of all time. And he
calls his followers to do the same. He calls us to live in a
way that we are actively looking to include people and
connect them to Jesus.

Mark 2:1-5
When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later,
the news spread quickly that he was back home.  2  Soon
the house where he was staying was so packed with
visitors that there was no more room, even outside the
door. While he was preaching God’s word to them,  3  four
men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4  They
couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they
dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they
lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of
Jesus.  5  Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed
man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus was the greatest includer of all time. Which means, as his
followers, we should be the greatest includers of our time.

Include who you most resist.

Who do you need to include more in your life?

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Application Questions

1. What stood out to you from this message and why?

2. What is one thing God is telling you to START doing because of this message?

3. What is one thing God is telling you to STOP doing because of this message?

4. How will this message change how you act at home, work and in the your relationships?